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Oakland avoids arbitration with Johnson, Jaso

Club has five remaining players eligible after striking deals with closer, catcher

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A's acquire Johnson 1:21

MLB.com analyst Jim Duquette talks about what Jim Johnson's role will be in the A's bullpen after Oakland acquires him from the Orioles

By Spencer Fordin and Andrew Simon
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MLB.com |

The A's avoided arbitration with two of their seven arbitration-eligible players on Thursday, agreeing to one-year contracts with closer Jim Johnson and catcher John Jaso.

Johnson will make $10 million, while Jaso will earn $2.3 million, according to the New York Post's Joel Sherman. The A's didn't disclose terms for either player.

The A's acquired Johnson from the Orioles on Dec. 2 for second baseman Jemile Weeks and a player to be named, which became Minor League catcher David Freitas. The 30-year-old has led the league in saves for two straight seasons, compiling a total of 101 while posting a 2.72 ERA. He did struggle at times last year, blowing nine saves and suffering eight losses, but he still received a sizable raise from the $6.5 million he earned in 2013.

Jaso batted .271 with a .387 on-base percentage for Oakland last season -- when he made $1.8 million -- but he suffered a concussion in late July and wasn't able to return to the field. Jaso batted .282 with 15 extra-base hits against right-handed pitchers last year, and he has a .364 career on-base percentage in five seasons.

The A's acquired Jaso a year ago -- Jan. 16, 2013 -- in a three-team trade. Oakland sent three prospects -- A.J. Cole, Blake Treinen and Ian Krol -- to Washington in order to acquire Jaso. Jaso came from Seattle, and the Mariners acquired Mike Morse from the Nationals as part of the deal.